Author Topic: Mixing firmware?  (Read 7148 times)

xnit (OP)

  • Posts: 6
Mixing firmware?
« on: August 25, 2011, 01:12:35 pm »
So I've found some newer firmwares than 1.22:
-A320 v1.3 Chinese
-A320 Beta 1.6 English
-Gemei A330 1.3.1

I've forun old news about new video drivers from Gemei A330 v1.3.1 firmware for A320:
htt://dingoo-scene.blogspot.com/2009/04/small-fruit-video-optimized-version-of.html

This is A320 firmware filelist:
www.rockbox.org/wiki/pub/Main/ChinaChip/tree.txt
Code: [Select]
|   |-- aac.dl
|   |-- ac3.dl
|   |-- amr.dl
|   |-- ape.dl
|   |-- flac.dl
|   |-- mp3.dl
|   |-- pcm.dl
|   |-- real.dl
|   |-- videos.dl
|   |-- wma.dl
|   `-- xvid.dl
|   |   |   `-- flash.dl
these are audio/video drivers. So, is there any chance to mix firmwares?
Eg:
-A320 v1.3 Chinese as basic
-Beta 1.6 A320 or Gemei A330 fw/Dingoo A330 fw for audio/video drivers
-English language file from A320 v1.2  FW

(sorry for my bad english ;) )

cutterjohn

  • !
  • Posts: 397
Re: Mixing firmware?
« Reply #1 on: August 25, 2011, 02:54:08 pm »
If you've got an A320 I wouldn't touch that Gemei A330 fw.  The 330 has an ARM11 based SoC while the 320 has a MIPS based SoC two ENTIRELY different and binary incompatible CPU architectures.

I stumbled across a thread about 1.6 somewhere here(IIRC) and the consensus seemed to be don't try it.

My brand new A320 came with v1.2 dated SEP 29(or maybe 26) which is an indication to me that Dingoo see this as the most stable fw.

Also don't forget about all the differing screen types, e.g. my new one came with a 9338 screen so there's no compatible unbricking tool ATM...

xnit (OP)

  • Posts: 6
Re: Mixing firmware?
« Reply #2 on: August 26, 2011, 03:03:29 am »
Ok, I've just changed A320 1.22FW codes to VX747 codecs and... IT'S WORKS!   8) (without audio in real video [rmvb])
anyway, I'll experimenting on updating codes for A320 using other China Chip Firmwares :D
« Last Edit: August 26, 2011, 03:14:27 am by xnit »

Brodiaga

  • Posts: 21
    • Tout pour la Dingoo A320 - Le retrogaming entre vos mains
Re: Mixing firmware?
« Reply #3 on: August 26, 2011, 02:54:05 pm »
Hi!
I have found a firmware 1.6 too in a site Chinese: http://www.idingoo.cn/idingoo/ShowPost.asp?ThreadID=591
but when I installed on my Dingoo, it is bricked...But this is not problem I have unbricked...
And this is strange because my Dingoo hasn't number serial with "HK"...

So they say its about this firmware (I have use google translator):
Quote
Owing to time constraints, I am testing 1.6 firmware and the emulator is very deep, as far as I can see the update (or change) a brief description is as follows:
1, change the menu in the game directory display;
2, in the browser game, join the preview (that appear in the top right of the thumbnails of the selected games);
3, the audio control to modify the pause button (the R key to the past the Y key, personal feel bad);
4, the browser option to display "Local Disk" instead of "U drive";
5, set the item "About This Mac" to join the manufacturers of some of the information, adding "browse type."

Have been aware of the bug are:
1 If the download is complete the 3D games changed the original English name, may not be a preview of the game;
2, set the item "View type" If you choose "All files (default)" visit the game will crash or appear chaotic arrangement of the game, so to "Directory browsing";
3, in addition to other types of 3D games, the game preview, I still can not get to try.

I have upload this firmware for you try and what it does really...
here

Bye and good continuation for your firmware!
« Last Edit: August 26, 2011, 03:07:02 pm by Brodiaga »

Hagane023

  • Posts: 179
Re: Mixing firmware?
« Reply #4 on: August 26, 2011, 05:34:09 pm »
This actually describes gemei a330 firmware 1.1 build3 firmware. Would be interesting if it ran on.my a320

cutterjohn

  • !
  • Posts: 397
Re: Mixing firmware?
« Reply #5 on: August 26, 2011, 07:16:00 pm »
This actually describes gemei a330 firmware 1.1 build3 firmware. Would be interesting if it ran on.my a320
As I mentioned above it shouldn't.  Why? well let's take a look:
Dingoo Digital A320/A330 JZ4732 SoC based which contains a reduced cost MIPS CPU
Dingoo Digital A80 JZ4755 SoC based which also contains a MIPS CPU, likely binarily compatible with other JZ4XXX SoCs.

Gemei A330/Dingoo Tech A330EX CC1800 SoC based which contains an ARM11 CPU

ARM and MIPS CPUs are NOT binary compatible, just like you couldn't take say the diff commandline tool compiled for x86 based computers running linux and expect it to work on a PowerPC based Mac running linux. (I'm just using the same OS so that no one trots out but they're different OS arguments, what you're interested in is the CPU arch and what's compatible with what, so this boils down to x86/ARM/MIPS are all mutually binary incompatible so that ANYTHING compiled to binary language for one arch will NOT EVER work on the others unless you want to do slow emulation which is just what they did to bootstrap GPUs on PowerPC macs believe it or not... implemented a partial x86 emulator in firmware!)

Even with the JZ4732 arch it misses out on a few instructions present in other MIPS CPUs based off the same arch, as evidenced by the workaround present in the gpsp emulator using some macros that use several extent instructions that perform the same function as the single instruction not present at the cost of CPU cycles to execute the additional instructions v. the reduced number to execute the single.

[EDIT]
Now what I'd be interested in is when/IF dingux makes it onto the Gemei A330 IF ginge would work on it as it works for the Caanoo & OpenPandora.  The Canoo has the relatively ancient ARM9 based SoC while OP has the relatively recent cortex-a8 based SoC.
[/EDIT]
« Last Edit: August 26, 2011, 08:23:54 pm by cutterjohn »

 

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